Ideas for Neighborhood and Family Prevention Activities

Here are some things that you can do to make an impact!
Activities should be continued over time to be effective and a
variety of activities with positive reinforcement will give
better results. Visit University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Model
of Behavior Change for more information on creating and
sustaining behavior change.

Visit Take
Action to view the Spectrum of Prevention, developed by The Prevention
Institute, to illustrate the different levels of involvement
that contribute to making a difference.

Recognize the signs of alcoholand drug use and
take action by talking to your child about what is going on in
his/her life and reach out to parents, the school, and the
community for help.

Know, practice and discuss safe and responsible alcohol and drug
use in your home.

Keep all alcohol out of reach and secure in your home, don’t
drink in excess, and never drink and drive.

Have an ongoing discussion with your children about the
dangers of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. Let them hear
directly from you how you feel about them using drugs or
alcohol. Encourage them to ask
questions.

Know your child’s friends and always know where they are and
who they are with. If your child is going to a party at a
friend’s house, make sure that there will be responsible adult
supervision.

If you smoke, try to quit and explain to your children
that you are making an effort to quit because of the health
dangers to yourself and others.

Be aware of the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter
drugs and how they can be misused. Properly and promptly
dispose of prescription drugs that are no longer needed. Keep
all prescription and over-the-counter drugs secure, and educate
your children about the proper use of medication.
Improper use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs can
cause serious health effects, addiction, and death. Visit
NIDA
for Teens: Prescription Drug Use to learn more.

Be aware of the danger of inhalants. Examples of the
things that children may inhale to get high include spray
paint, glue, gasoline, fingernail polish, and correction fluid.
Improper use of these items can also cause serious health
effects, addiction, and death. Visit NIDA:
InfoFacts: Inhalants to learn more about inhalant use.

Reach out to other youth and share what you know about the
dangers of drug and alcohol use. Listen to their concerns and
and offer guidance.

Get involved with a youth group at a local house of
worship, community center, school, or civic center. Focus on
educating youth about drugs, tobacco, and alcohol and encourage
them to agree to abstain from substance use and abuse. Visit
NIDA for Teens: The Science
Behind Drug Abuse and encourage youth to visit the site
for information, videos, games, and true stories that youth have
shared. Have ongoing discussions with the group and encourage them
to talk openly about peer pressure, helping others to stay drug
free, and activities that they can do to promote a drug-free
community. If there is not a youth group in your area, get
involved with a community group to start one.

Organize guest speakers, classes or seminars to be held in
your workplace, school, faith or community organization.

Host a movie night to raise alcohol and
drug awareness. Find educational alcohol and
drug prevention films or movies with abuse in the
story. Have a group discussion about what happens in the movie and
how things could have been handled better.

Promote “Three to Succeed”! Youth Survey data and
national data show that youth are more likely to thrive and less
likely to participate in risk behaviors when they have just three
assets or strengths. Want to know more about
assets? View the
Risk and Protective Factors in Fairfax County fact sheet.

Recognize the signs of bullying and take action by talking
to your child about what is going on in his/her life and reach out
to parents, the school, and the community for help. Visit Stop
Bullying: Warning Signs to learn more.

Have an age-appropriate conversation with your
child about bullying and explain that bullying others is
unacceptable behavior.

Explain the importance of standing up for others who are being
bullied.

Ask your child if he/she has been a victim of bullying.

If your child has bullied others or is the victim of bullying,
follow up with your child’s school (teacher, administrator,
guidance counselor, nurse, psychologist or social worker) to
help resolve the issue in a safe and responsible manner.

Reach out to other youth and share what you know about
bullying and cyberbullying. Listen to their concerns and and
offer guidance.

Get involved with a youth group at a local house of
worship, community center, school, or civic center. Focus on
educating youth about bullying and encourage them to agree to not
bully others and to stand up for people being bullied. Visit
StopBullying.gov and
encourage youth to visit the site. Have ongoing discussions with
the group and encourage them to talk openly about peer pressure and
barriers to helping one another. If there is not a youth
group in your area, get involved with a community group to start
one.

Organize guest speakers, classes or seminars to be held in
your workplace, school, faith or community organization.

Host a movie night to raise bullying awareness.
Find educational bullying prevention films or movies
with bullying in the story. Have a group discussion about what
happens in the movie and how things could have been handled better.

Promote “Three to Succeed”! Youth Survey data and
national data show that youth are more likely to thrive and less
likely to participate in risk behaviors when they have just three
assets or strengths. Want to know more about
assets? View the
Risk and Protective Factors in Fairfax County fact sheet.

Learn about depression and thoughts of suicide in
youth. Youth who experience depression are at higher risk
for drug and alcohol use and other health concerns. If you
suspect a youth is depressed or has had thoughts of suicide, seek
professional help. To learn more and find sources for help,
view these resources:

Recognize the signs of depression and thoughts of suicide.
Take action by talking to your child about what is going on
in his/her life and reach out to parents, the school, and the
community for help. Visit Helpguide.org to learn more.

Discuss depression and suicide in your home.

Engage your child in regular discussions to stay informed about
their daily activities and challenges.

If your child shows signs of depression, educate them
about depression and let them know you are there to help.

Reach out to other youth and share what you know about
depresson and suicide. Listen to their concerns and and offer
guidance.

Get involved with a youth group at a local house of
worship, community center, school, or civic center. Focus on
educating youth about how to recognize the signs and symptoms of
depression in themselves and their friends and the steps that they
can take to get help. If there is not a youth group in your
area, get involved with a community group to start one.

Organize guest speakers, classes or seminars to be held in
your workplace, school, faith or community organization.

Host a movie night to raise depression awareness.
Find educational depression and
suicide prevention films or movies with these
themes in the story. Have a group discussion about what
happens in the movie and how things could have been handled better.

Promote “Three to Succeed”! Youth Survey data and
national data show that youth are more likely to thrive and less
likely to participate in risk behaviors when they have just three
assets or strengths. Want to know more about
assets? View the
Risk and Protective Factors in Fairfax County fact sheet.

Recognize the signs of overweight and obesity. Familiarize
yourself with Body Mass Index (BMI) and know your BMI and that of
your family members. It is always a good idea to have regular
check-ups with your doctor and discuss your health needs.
Visit Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention: Body Mass Index for how to
calculate BMI for adults and children

Know, practice and discuss healthy living in your home.

Make a commitment to exercise together for 60 minutes 3 or 4
times a week.

Make a commitment to reduce your portion sizes and to eat more
nutritious and healthy foods.

Reward yourself and your family as motivation when you
make healthy food and activity choices and plan fun
activities like hiking, swimming, or basketball.

Get to know the Parks and
Recreation facilities in your area. These include
RECenters, Community Centers, Senior Centers, and Teen Centers,
and Parks, many of which have athletic fields, courts, and
trails.

Find out about Sports Clubs
in your area and encourage participation by the whole family.

Reach out to others and engage them in healthy activities.

Start a neighborhood walking group. Meet at set days and
times and don't let each other down!

Start a bike riding group with friends and neighbors and
commit to riding 3-4 times/week for 60 minutes. See these
tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administraton for
Bicycle Safety.

Host a movie night to raise health awareness.
Find educational films or movies that address the
consequences of poor diet and nutrition. Have a group discussion
about what happens in the movie and how things could have been
handled better.

Promote “Three to Succeed”! Youth Survey data and
national data show that youth are more likely to thrive and less
likely to participate in risk behaviors when they have just three
assets or strengths. Want to know more about
assets? View the
Risk and Protective Factors in Fairfax County fact sheet.

Recognize the signs of teendating abuse and
take action by talking to your child about what is going on in
his/her life and reach out to parents, the school, and the
community for help. Visit Break the
Cycle: Dating Violence 101 to learn more.

Reach out to other youth and share what you know about
healthy relationships. Listen to their concerns and and offer
guidance.

Get involved with a youth group at a local house of
worship, community center, school, or civic center. Engage
the youth in conversation and talk about the signs of teen dating
abuse, resources for help, and things that teens can do to help a
friend. Don’t just hold one “chat session” about teen dating
abuse. Follow up with regular sessions where the youth can
freely and safely express themselves and listen with an open mind
about issues they face in everyday life. If you don’t know
all of the answers to the questions the youth may ask, reach out to
a professional. If there is not a youth group in your area,
get involved with a community group to start one.

Organize guest speakers, classes or seminars to be held in your
workplace, school, faith or community organization.

Host a movie night to raise depression awareness.
Find educational depression and
suicide prevention films or movies with these
themes in the story. Have a group discussion about what
happens in the movie and how things could have been handled better.

Promote “Three to Succeed”! Youth Survey data and
national data show that youth are more likely to thrive and less
likely to participate in risk behaviors when they have just three
assets or strengths. Want to know more about
assets? View the
Risk and Protective Factors in Fairfax County fact sheet.